Method and apparatus for feeding cut tobacco simultaneously to several cigarette making machines



P. VOLCKERS May 9, 1961 2,983,275 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CUT TOBACCO SIMULTANEOUSLY T0 SEVERAL CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINES Filed Feb. 18. 1959 ATTORNEYS R m m M m h a w w M M /M M r &

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United States Patent O METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CUT TOBACCO 'SMULTANEOUSLY TO SEVERAL CIGARETTE- MAKING MACHINES I Peter Viilckrs, Trie r (Mosel) Germany, assi or to regarettenfabrik Hans Neuerliurg K.G., Koln i hine),

rmany Filed Feb. 18, 1959, Set. No. 793,998

Claims priority, application Germany Feb. 20, 1958 2 Claims. (Cl. 131-21) The invention relates to a method and apparatus for feeding cut tobacco to several cigarette making machines. The tobacco is removed from a storage place and is fed to several delivery points from which the tobacco is conveyed to the individual cigarette making machines. Methods are known in which a tobacco fleece is formed before feeding the tobacco to the several delivery points so as to provide a uniform delivery and therefore also a uniform feed, for instance a pneumatic feed of tobacco to the cigarette making machines. The tobacco, after being removed from a storage place, is fed to a number of suction pipes and is conveyed by the latter by means of associated pneumatic conveying conduits to the individual cigarette making machines.

When no tobacco is required or consumed by one or several of the cigarette making machines, the tobacco which will accumulate in the range of the delivery points of the machine is conveyed and distributed, in known manner, to the delivery points of the other machines. The accumulation of the tobacco can be also prevented by returning the tobacco to the storage place. It is also known to stop the delivery of tobacco to the individual cigarette making machines by stopping the conveyors which deliver the tobacco to the individual cigarette making machines.

These and other methods require a substantial number of additional devices and much space. According to the present invention a substantially simplified method for feeding cut tobacco to several cigarette making machines is employed in which the tobacco removed from the storage place is formed into a fleece which is conveyed to a number of delivery points and from the latter is pneumatically delivered to the individual cigarette making machines, the tobacco fleece being moved continuously to and past the difierent delivery points in an endless path.

The endless path is arranged in its simplest form in a horizontal plane, and preferably has a ring shaped form.

The device for practicing the method of the invention and consisting in pneumatically delivering cut tobacco to cigarette making machine includes a distributor which feeds the tobacco, removed from a storage place, to a number of suction operated intake pipes which deliver the tobacco by means of suitable pneumatic conveying conduits to the individual cigarette making machines. The distributor has the form of a circular table rotating about a vertical axis and provided at its center with a cone. The tobacco is delivered to the apex of said cone and the suction operated intake pipes are disposed around the circumference of the rotating table and lead to the individual cigarette making machines.

The drawing illustrates by way of example one embodiment of an apparatus for practicing the inventive method. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus with parts in section,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus,

Referring to the drawing, the apparatus consists of acircular table 1 rotatable about a vertical axis and supported on a frame 1a. The horizontal base 1b of the table 1 is attached to the upper end of a vertical shaft 1 rotatably mounted in the frame 1a and driven in any desired manner, for. instance by-an electric motor 12 and a belt transmission 13. A distributor cone 2 is mounted above said table 1 and'above the cone 2 is arranged a tobacco feeding device 3. Thetobacco which slides downwardly from the cone 2 is-removed by suction intake pipes 4 of which one is provided for each cigarette making machine. A circumferential upwardly extending wall 10 around the base 1b of the table 1 forms together with the lower perimeter of the distributor cone 2 an annular trough 1d. The tobacco is supplied to the feeding device 3 by any desired supply device.

The tobacco is loosened inside the box-shaped housing of the feeding device 3 by means of rake wheels 3a and 3b which cooperate with impact rollers 3c and 3d and which convey the loosened tobacco downwardly and onto the apex of the distributor cone 2'. The tobacco slides downwardly along the sloping surface of the rotating cone 2 and is transferred by gravity and centrifugal forces into said annular trough 1d. An electronic scanning device 7, 6, 8 known per se, maintains the desired height of the tobacco fleece in the trough 1d by controlling the tobacco feed to the feeding device 3' from the supply means. The tobacco is supplied to the feeding device 3 by means of a horizontal or inclined endless conveyor 3 which is driven by an electric motor 9 and a belt drive 9a. The endless conveyor 3 moves the tobacco in form of a layer toward the lower rake wheel 35 driven by a motor '12 and a belt or chain drive 13. The operation of the motor 9 is controlled by the electronic scanning device 7, 6, 8. The electronic scanning device includes a light source 7 for directing a light beam downwardly toward the annular trough so that light rays will be reflected upwardly by the horizontal surface 1b of the trough when only a small amount of tobacco particles are present in the trough. The reflected light rays are directed upwardly toward a photo-cell or other light responsive element 6 in a suitable circuit with an amplifier 8 and control switch 9. Thus, when the tobacco in the annular trough 1d reaches a predetermined low level the electric motor for driving the endless belt feed 3 will be energized and tobacco will be fed onto the cone 2 which will again fill the annular trough so that the tobacco supply to the suction pipes 4 will be restored and not interrupted.

The intake pipes 4 for the individual cigarette making machines extend with their lower ends into the annular trough 1d above the table base 1b and remove the tobacco necessary for the operation of the respective, cigarette making machine by suction from the tobacco-fleece which continuously and endlessly rotates past the loweropen ends of said tubes 4. A hinged flap 5 provided near each lower end of the intake pipes 4 is controlled by the cigarette making machines and is kept open during the delivery period. This flap is caused to be closed when no more tobacco is required by the individual cigarette making machine. As shown in Fig. 3 the lower end of the pipes 4' is enlarged toward one side as indicated at 40. This laterally enlarged portion 4a faces the direction of the oncoming tobacco stream in the trough 1d. The wall of the pipe 4 opposite the tapering enlargement 4a is provided with a hinged flap 40 which prevents the accumulation of tobacco lump under the pipe 4 and a clogging of the latter. Furthermore, the cross section at the lowermost end of the pipe is reduced by one or two inclined side wall portions 4d, so that Patented May 9, 1961 I always the desired and required suction force is created at this point.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for feedingcut tobacco simultaneously to several cigarette making machines, including a circular table, means for rotating said table abouta vertical axis, a cone-shaped tobacco distributor arranged to extend from the center of said table and to form between the circular base of said distributor and the circumference of said table an annular trough, suction operated intake pipes extending into said troughfor conveying tobacco from said trough to said several cigarette making machines, and means for dropping out tobacco onto the apex of said cone-shaped distributor.

2. An apparatusfor feeding cuttobacco simultaneously to several cigarette making machines, including a circular table, means for rotating. said table about a vertical axis,

4 s 1 a cone-shaped tobacco distributor arranged to'extend frcim the center of said table and to form between the-circular base of said distributor and the circumference of said table an annular trough, suction operated intake pipes extending into said trough for conveying tobacco from said trough to said several cigarette making machines, means for dropping out tobacco onto the apers-of said cone-shaped distributor,- and an electronic scanning. device for controlling the height of the cut tobacco accumulating in the annular trough on said rotating table.

References Cited in the file of this patent- UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,618,395 De Brabander s s Nov; 18, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 624,871

Germany Ian. 30, 1936 

